Twenty-four members of staff took voluntary redundancy after turning down an option to remain working on lower pay and conditions. They joined with fellow employees for a celebration of the many years that they spent together.

'It was a great night,' said Teresa Murphy from Highfields, who is one of the people who took voluntary redundancy. 'We just wanted to get together and have a laugh. We didn't want anything else.'

It was a significant moment for Teresa, who has worked for Tesco Wexford for 36 years. She began her stint at the same time as Vincent Walsh of Corish Park, who also left the company in recent weeks.

'We started and ended together so that was nice,' said Teresa. 'Most of us started working there at around the same time so it was great that we finished together too. We were all happy over that.'

Earlier on in the day, staff enjoyed another celebration in the Tesco canteen, where they were given an emotional send-off by management and the remaining staff.

'We would like to thank the management and staff for the great day,' said Teresa.

According to Teresa, all of the departing staff members hope to stay in touch with one another and plan to meet for lunch every few months.